Indonesian quake, tsunami death toll rises to 832: disaster agency

National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told a press conference that three French nationals, a South Korean and a Malaysian are among the missing, KYODO NEWS reports.

There were at least 61 foreigners staying in the Central Sulawesi provincial capital Palu, one of the two worst-affected areas, when the quake and tsunamis hit. The five missing foreigners were among them.

The number of dead is expected to increase further as many people are feared buried under the debris of hotels, malls and other buildings.

Because communications remain disrupted in the affected areas, it is still not possible to grasp the full extent of the damage, Sutopo added.

Access to the northwest coastal town of Donggala, the other affected area just north of Palu, is still difficult as the quake damaged roads and bridges and caused landslides.

Pictures and video spreading on social media showed how the tsunami waves engulfed a broad area of the western part of the island, destroying several thousand structures.

"People who evacuated to higher ground survived the tsunamis. But the limited early warning, the lack of knowledge and readiness, the shortage of shelters (to evacuate to) still claimed a lot of lives," Sutopo said.

Indonesia's military, national police, and search and rescue agency have dispatched personnel to search for missing people and support evacuees.